Miele CX1 Boost PowerLine review
For an entry-level vacuum cleaner, the Miele CX1 Boost PowerLine means business. It's competitively priced, with prices starting from £269, and combines a compact design with a power that belies its size. Steep, narrow stairs would be a challenge for this vac, but if that's not an issue for you then this is a versatile and affordable appliance that's a great option for smaller homes.
Compact
Great suction
Useful storage options
Not great for steep or narrow stairs
Power cable may not be long enough for some
Corded design can be limiting
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Miele has been a trusted home appliance brand for many years now, and its vacuum cleaners regularly feature in our best vacuum cleaner round-ups. The Miele CX1 Boost PowerLine is the entry-level model in the German brand's new CX Boost line which comprises three compact, bagless cylinder vacuum cleaners, and is priced at £269 .
Miele says the CX1 Boost PowerLine has a footprint the size of an open magazine which is one which we can vouch for when the vac is being stored. It packs an efficient 890W motor, multistage filtration system, and TrackDrive technology to ensure that it remains consistently powerful while capturing even the smallest particles of dust and dirt. It offers four suction levels, and two floor head settings which can be easily switched between using either your foot or hand.
It's a corded vacuum, so gives you more power than some cordless models of a similar size, although this does mean that you’re tied to a plug, which limits your manoeuvrability somewhat; its 6.5-metre length will be enough for cleaning smaller areas, but we found that we needed to unplug it at least once to vacuum our 45 square metre ground floor. There's plenty of cord for cleaning stairs, though – which is a good thing as its rounded design and large wheels suggest it could be prone to toppling off shallower stair treads.
Its compact design means the Boost CX1 PowerLine is easy to store if space is at a premium, and is also an asset when manoeuvring the cleaner in tight spaces and around furniture. We particularly like that the three supplied tools can be securely stowed on the handle of the vacuum, making them easy to access when needed.
The Miele Boost CX1 PowerLine costs £269, and is available direct from Miele as well as from retailers including John Lewis and Amazon.
If having a power cord isn't a deal-breaker for you when choosing a vacuum cleaner, you’ll be pleased to know that the cord is a relatively generous 6.5 metres in length, unwinds easily, and retracts with the press of the foot (or hand) pedal. You may find that this is plenty long enough for the floor area which you need to vacuum but we found that we needed to unplug it at least once to vacuum our 495ft2 / 45m2 ground floor level which wasn't a problem for us, just a consideration if you have a larger home and don't want to be returning to the wall socket frequently.
The cord wasn't a limiting factor when using the Miele Boost CX1 PowerLine to clean our stair carpet, but the overall design was. The cleaner features Miele's TrackDrive technology, with extra-large wheels on its sides and additional small swivel castors to enable the unit to turn 360 degrees on its axis for staying on track. Ours is an older home, and the stairs are narrow with shallow treads, and we found that while the vacuum would just about sit securely on a step, the slightest tug on the hose would send it toppling off.
Packed into a footprint smaller than an open magazine this model in the Miele CX1 lineup has a multistage filtration system. It’ll retain even the smallest particles, which should provide some relief to any allergy sufferers, like me, and works in tandem with Miele's Vortex technology to capture both coarse and fine dust particles.
The Miele Boost CX1 PowerLine did a good job of collecting fluff, crumbs and debris from both hard floors and carpets, even in tricky, hard-to-reach places.
On carpet, it pulled up any loose fluff in just one forward-and-back sweep. It also effectively sucked up dust, which while hard to see, was obviously evident as it gradually filled up the bin. It performed equally well on a hard floor, with dust, cereal and other debris being swiftly picked up by the universal floor head.
There are four suction settings to choose from – upholstery, hard floor, rugs and carpet. These can be changed by turning the dial on the main vacuum cleaner body, and each setting felt appropriately powerful for the intended surface – we did a quick test to see how the carpet suction level worked on a rug, and the suction was so strong that it lifted the rug off the floor.
Generally speaking, the Boost CX1 PowerLine is easy to manoeuvre around tight spots in the home, such as through doorways and around corners. At 12.8lbs / 5.8kg it's lightweight, and its compact size makes it easy to move around, although the cord length made it tricky to reach every corner of larger rooms. It's not too much of a challenge to carry it between rooms and up and downstairs, but we did keep mistaking the catch on the bin for the actual handle which meant that instead of lifting the vacuum cleaner, we lifted the bin up instead.
The dusting brush and crevice tools enable you to clean harder-to-reach areas like around a fireplace, and behind radiators. We also used the upholstery nozzle on some rogue crumbs residing on the sofa, but we found it easier to these off and onto the floor and pick them up with the floor head – this attachment isn't best suited to our household, but perhaps it will be with pet owners. We found it easy to switch between accessories, as they’re all accessible when stowed on the handle. We found the vacuum to be quiet in operation compared to some other corded models.
Although we weren't able to measure the noise level due to technical issues, it was noticeably quieter to our ear. Miele pegs the noise output at 78dB which is in line with typical vacuum cleaner noise levels, with anything above 80dB approaching the noise level of a food blender. The floor head is not motorized, so the only sound you’ll hear is from the motor.
Emptying the Miele Boost CX1 PowerLine's dust canister is something which you’ll be needing / wanting to do regularly. The dust canister has a catch which we mistook for the carry handle a few times. The dust container release catch is on the front of the bin, and there are various other release catches that enable you to access the filter frame, pre-filter and fine dust filter with filter mat, all of which can be cleaned with a shake and a brush with the supplied mini brush, and rinsed under cold running water.
As for longer-term maintenance, Miele recommends that you replace the Hygiene AirClean and HEPA AirClean filters once a year, and replace the fine dust filter every three years.
The Miele Boost CX1 PowerLine doesn't take up much room when stored, which makes it perfect if space in your home is at a premium. The comfort telescopic tube slides onto the ‘park system’ which although does make the stationed vacuum cleaner tall, it doesn't make it any wider.
On the handle is one of the vacuum cleaner's most useful features – the on-board storage clip for the tools, which Miele calls the Vario-Clip. This ensures that the crevice, dust and upholstery tools are always there when you need them, although if you’re cleaning underneath the bed or couch with the tube low down they may scrape along the floor a little as you clean.
You don't have a large budget to spend
£269 isn't small change but it's a price which is a lot easier to swallow than most comparable high-spec vacuum cleaners.
You have carpets and hard floors
The universal floor head enables you to quickly and easily switch between floor types.
Space is at a premium
With a footprint similar to that of an open magazine the vacuum doesn't take up much space when stored, and all three accessories can be stowed on the unit.
You want a vacuum cleaner you can also use to clean the car
The fact that it's mains-powered, and has a relatively short cable, plus its wheeled design, means it's not the handiest vacuum for cleaning the car.
You have steep and/or narrow stairs
The vacuum cleaner didn't stay secure on our stairs, and the long hose also made cleaning the stairs tricky.
You want a bagged vacuum
This is a bagless vacuum, so if you prefer a bagged design to having to empty the dust canister, this model isn't for you.
Jennifer Oksien is TechRadar's Homes Editor. Jennifer (Jenny) has over a decade of experience as a digital product writer specialising in appliances, smart tech and mattresses for some of the UKs leading retailers and magazine titles such as Real Homes, Ideal Home and Livingetc. Generally, you’ll find her watching the latest Netflix series, digging around in the garden or attempting to make a cake that is edible.
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Price and availability score: 5/5 Design score: 4/5 Performance score: 4.5/5 Cleaning, maintenance and storage score: 4.5/5 You don't have a large budget to spend You have carpets and hard floors Space is at a premium You want a vacuum cleaner you can also use to clean the car You have steep and/or narrow stairs You want a bagged vacuum First reviewed: June 2022